CIHM 
Microfiche 
Series 
(Monographs) 


ICIVIH 

Collection  de 
microfiches 
(monographles) 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microraproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microroproductions  historiquas 


"^r^!ft^!i!^5a!Hh^if^»^^^5S 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes  /  Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best  original 
copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this  copy  which 
may  be  bibliographically  unique,  which  may  alter  any  of 
the  images  in  the  reproduction,  or  which  may 
significantly  change  the  usual  method  of  filming  are 
checked  below. 


D 
D 

D 

D 
D 

D 
D 
D 

D 
D 

D 


D 


Coloured  covers  / 
Couverture  de  couleur 

Covers  damaged  / 
Couverture  endommagte 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated  / 
Couverture  restaur^  et/ou  pellicula 

Cover  title  missing  /  Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps  /  Cartes  g^ographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)  / 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations  / 
Planches  et/ou  illustratici.s  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material  / 
Reli^  avec  d'autres  documents 

Only  edition  available  / 
Seule  Edition  disponible 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion  along 
interior  margin  /  La  reliure  serrte  peut  causer  de 
I'ombre  ou  de  la  distorsion  le  long  de  la  marge 
int^rieure. 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restorations  may  appear 
within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these  have  been 
omitted  from  filming  /  Use  peut  que  certaines  pages 
blanches  ajout^es  lors  d'une  restauration 
apparaissent  dans  le  texte,  mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait 
possible,  ces  pages  n'ont  pas  6t6  filmtes. 

Additional  comments  / 
Commentaires  suppl^mentaires: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire  qu'il  lui  a 
6X6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details  de  cet  exem- 
plaire qui  sont  peut-dtre  uniques  du  point  de  vue  bibli- 
ographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier  une  image  reproduite, 
ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une  modification  dans  la  m6tho- 
de  normale  de  filmage  sont  indiqu^s  ci-dessous. 

I I   Coloured  pages  /  Pages  de  couleur 

I I   Pages  damaged  /  Pages  endommag6es 


D 


Pages  restored  and/or  laminated  / 
Pages  restaurdes  et/ou  pellicul^es 


B   Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed  / 
Pages  ddcolor^es,  tachetdes  ou  piques 

I      I   Pages  detached  /  Pages  d6tach6es 

Iv/J   Showthrough / Transparence 

I      I   Quality  of  print  varies  / 


D 

D 


D 


Quality  in^gale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  material  / 
Comprend  du  materiel  suppl^mentaire 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  en-ata  slips, 
tissues,  etc.,  nave  been  refilmed  to  ensure  the  best 
possible  image  /  Les  pages  totalement  ou 
partiellement  obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une 
pelure,  etc.,  ont  6\6  film^s  ^  nouveau  de  fa^on  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 

Opposing  pages  with  varying  colouration  or 
discolourations  are  filmed  twice  to  ensure  the  best 
possible  image  /  Les  pages  s'opposant  ayant  des 
colorations  variables  ou  des  decolorations  sont 
film^s  deux  fois  afin  d'obtenir  la  meilleure  image 
possible. 


Thia  Kam  )■  f  llmad  at  the  raduction  ratio  chackad  balow  / 

Ce  document  eat  fflm^  au  taux  de  rMuction  indiqui  cl-daaaous. 


lOx 

14x 

18x 

22x 

26x 

30x 

1 

J 

12x 


16x 


20x 


24x 


28x 


32x 


^as&:i<^  m-'ui^^^.jsjsrj^m^fm^wms^'m^^ 


Tha  copy  filmad  h«r«  has  baan  raproducad  thank* 
to  tha  ganarosity  of: 

National  Library  o£  Canada 


L'axampiaira  film*  fut  raproduit  graca  A  la 
ganArosit*  da: 

Bibliotheque  nationals  du  Canada 


Tha  imagas  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
possibia  considaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacif icatiena. 


Las  imagas  suivantas  ont  ata  raproduitas  avac  la 
plus  grand  soin,  compta  tanu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattata  da  Taxamplaira  filma.  at  »n 
conformita  avac  laa  conditions  du  contrat  da 
filmaga. 


Original  copies  in  printed  papar  covars  ara  fllmad 
beginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  tha  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  tha 
first  pege  with  a  printed  or  Illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couvarture  an 
papier  est  imprimae  sont  filmas  en  commencant 
par  le  premier  plat  at  tn  tarminant  soit  par  la 
derniare  page  qui  comporte  une  emprainta 
d'imprassion  ou  d'illustration.  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  la  cas.  Tous  las  autres  axamplairas 
originaux  sont  filmas  an  commencant  par  la 
pramiara  page  qui  comporte  une  emprainta 
d'imprassion  ou  d'illustration  at  en  terminant  par 
la  darniara  page  qui  comporte  una  telle 
emprainta. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — ^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  appliaa. 


Un  das  symbolaa  suivants  spparaitra  sur  la 
derniare  image  da  cheque  microfiche,  salon  le 
ces:  le  symbols  — •»'  signifie  "A  SUIVRE".  le 
symbole  V  signifia  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  ara  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Las  cartaa.  planches,  tableaux,  etc..  pauvant  atra 
filmas  ii  das  taux  da  raduction  diffarants. 
Lorsqua  la  document  est  trop  grand  pour  atra 
raproduit  an  un  seul  clich*.  il  est  filma  A  partir 
da  Tangle  supariaur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droita. 
at  da  haut  en  bas,  an  pranant  le  nombre 
d'imeges  nacessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
lilustrent  la  mathode. 


1 

2 

3 

1  2  3 

4  5  6 


'^'WA'-^j^m.v: 


MICROCOPY    RESOLUTION    TKT   CHART 

(ANSI  ond  ISO  TEST  CHART  No    2) 


^      /APPLIED    IIVMGE      Inc 


"i^3   Easl   Mo.n   ^,treet 

Rochester.   Ne«   »of«        i»609       USA 

('16)    462  -  0300  -  Phone 

(7 '6)    288-  5989  -  Fo< 


iiiiy!IUtill)i|!Jlll||iill.tt«ffl!!Jl|l)liiilH!UWWjWJ$|i(l!lir4M(l(«li;!it!tto 


\ 


THE 


i 


('^ 


\ 


GEORGIAN  BAY  CANAL 


) 


BY 

S.  J.  MCLEAN 


REPRINTED  FROM  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  REVIEW 
NOVEMBER.  1909 


NEW  YORK 
THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  REVIEW  PUBLISHING  CO. 


■\L 


Copyright,  IWM,  by 
The  North  Ameiieao  RctIcw  PublitbluK  Compgny 


'■^ry^^^9l^. 


m^^i'im^-'^^m 


tfiw»wiH>)wiwmHHiHitaMMHiMW<tiiwttiiMmMiwiiiiiiitiwwwiiMnti)w»wwwwmiiiMHiiiiwin»niHitM 


TUE    GEORGIAN    BAY    CANAL 

BV   8.   J.   MrLEAN. 

Fkom  the  ljcj,'iimiug  of  its  lanal  [loluy.  ('jiimila  Ims  bocn  in- 
terested not  only  ia  obtaining  a  elieap  water  route  for  !(.■<  own 
produce,  but  also  in  attracting  trallie  to  tlii.s  route  from  the 
United  States.  While  tlie  Canadian  I'ariianiout  declared,  in 
1875,  in  favor  of  a  fourteen-foot  waterway  from  (lie  f.akcH  to 
the  seaboard,  it  was  not  until  I'JOU  that  tluK  was  obtained.  Tlie 
faet  that  the  Erie  Canal,  owing  to  it-?  lagging  Ijchind  in  point 
of  technical  improvements,  hR.-i  become  of  minor  importance  ;., 
the  transportation  of  grain  to  the  seaboard  has  caused  New  York 
to  fear  tiie  diversion  of  tratlic  to  the  St.  I>awrenee  route.  This 
was  used  as  an  argument  by  tlie  Erie  Canal  Commission  in  1809 
in  favor  of  the  improvement  of  the  Erie  Canal.  The  diversion 
of  a  large  part  of  the  export  grain  trafTic  to  Montreal  during  the 
season  of  lUOH  has  attracted  further  attention  to  the  competition 
of  the  Canadian  route.  Canada  has  expended,  in  round  nunil)er8, 
$116,000,000  on  its  canal  system;  $94,000,000  of  this  amount 
have  been  'wpended  in  the  last  forty  years.  Over  seven-eighths 
of  the  latur  sum  has  been  expended  on  the  route  from  Lake 
Superior  to  Montreal. 

Wliile  a  large  part  of  the  expenditure  has  been  concerned  with 
1^0  development  of  a  waterway  competitive  for  \merican  traffic, 
it  is  only  of  recent  years  that  tlie  anticipations  have  begun  to 
i)e  realized.  The  c;mal  at  the  Canadian  "  Soo  "  conipetes  for 
American  trafTic.  This  canal  was  ojiencd  in  1H0.~).  In  ISfifi  tlie 
tonnage  passing  through  was  7.9  millions;  by  1907  the  tonnage 
had  doubled.  Tlie  Canadian  canal  percentage  of  the  total  traffic 
passing  tliroiigh  the  two  ''Son"  canals  i?  gradiialiv  increasin*'. 
In  1901  it  was  8  per  cent.:  in  1007  it  amounted  to  9()  pc-  cent.; 
this  reprepent>  both   a   relative  and  an   absnlute  increase.     The 


■t,l#)H:tWKlBm?H:««tt»W'W«tTOWW!!iTO!!8W!fflffl 


lm!W»»i!«W!*«iraB»w*"'"' 


d.      


4  Tin:  (it.nuui.w  /Ml  c.iNi/.. 

tounagc  pussiug  tli rough  tlic  (.'aaaiJiau  utuul,  like  lliaL  ut^iiig  ilic 
American  lanal,  (.oiisisu  almost  whoii)  of  low-grmle  Imlky  I'lciglit, 
llie  giealcr  part  U'Uig  easl-hound.  In  I'JUT,  Iv'..')  millions  ul  ions 
of  freight  passed  iluun  ihroiigii  the  Canadian  lanai,  an  in.rLa:ic 
of  7<;  per  cent,  over  11*U0.  Tiie  eanal  id  not,  iiowever,  suieesiful 
in  tarrying  a  large  portion  of  this  down  hy  tiie  St.  l.awrenee 
route.  Of  the  I'JOT  grain  si]i])uients  from  Port  Arthur  and 
Fort  William  24  per  cent,  went  by  water  to  Canadian  points  east 
of  the  Welland  Canal;  while  43  per  cent,  went  to  (ieorgian  Bay 
and  Lake  llunm  points,  wlience  it  was  hamiled  by  rail.  It  must 
be  remembered  that,  while  the  ''  Soo  "  CanaJ  permits  the  pa.^age 
of  the  large  lake-going  vessels,  (onditions  are  dilferent  in  the 
case  of  the  Welland  and  the  St.  Uwrence  canals.  In  general,  a 
vessel  247  feet  in  length,  4-i  feet  t!  inches  wide,  drawing  13 
feet  and  carr"ing  2,212  tons  of  cargo  may  be  regarded  as  typical 
of  tl'o  ordinary  verssel  accoinmodation  afforded  by  these  canals. 

Early  in  1907  a  deputation  of  vessel-owners  and  ^rain-shippers 
memorialized  the  Dominion  Government  to  so  deepen  and  im- 
prove the  \V  Hand  Canal  as  to  accommodate  the  largest  vessels 
of  the  Upper  Lakes.  T!ie  GoTemment  has  at  prcLont  under 
eonsidcration  a  project  for  deepening  the  canal  to  twenty-five 
feet.  The  various  commercial  or^anization.s  arc,  however,  bv  no 
means  agreed  on  this  question.  At  present  it  takes  a  vessel  from 
Hixteen  to  nineteen  hours  to  lock  through  the  canal,  according 
to  the  conditions  of  traaic.  The  same  expenditure  of  tim>  oula 
permit  the  vessel  to  get  back  to  the  Detroit  River.  In  the  case 
of  the  larger  vessels  it  would  !«  more  economical  to  pick  up  a 
coal  cargo  on  Lake  Erie  and  go  west  to  the  river  tlian  to  con- 
tinue east,  attcmi)ting  to  i)ick  up  a  cargo  west-bound  from  the 
light  traffic  offering  from  Lake  Ontario  or  the  St.  Lawrence 
River.  It  is  true  that  if  the  canal  were  improved  the  time  dis- 
advantage would  be  lessened,  but  it  would  not  be  eliminated.  As 
regards  the  deepening  of  the  St.  LawTcnce  canals,  it  may  be  noted 
that  tlie  transportation  of  grain  in  barges  from  p'rescott  to 
Montreal  has  certain  advantages.  The  exporter  can  brin-r  his 
barge?  alongside  the  ocean-going  vessel  at  ^fontreal,  thus  saving 
elevator  charges  which  have  been  complained  of  as  exorbitant. 
If  the  ocean  vessel  is  not  ready  to  load,  the  demurrage  charges  on 
the  barges  are  low. 

Tt  is  nnder  such  conditions  of  dissatisfaction  with  the  l.«wer 


"mm'miMm 


1 


1  fL  yfV'  ■ 


"pm 


/  ///',  iii.i'i.1,1  1  \    /(  1 )    '   t  \  1/..  .» 

I.:ikt'  aii'l  livur  i.iiNils  tliul  tluic  lin.>  liti  ii  a  ii'iuwiil  iiiliiot  in 
the  (Jriu-ian  l>av  .anal  roiilo.  'I'lio  jiinjc(  i  fm  a  luiiali/cil  ,\ali'i- 
\\ti\  rpiiu  iIh'  I'jiiKT  Lal^c!^  liv  wuy  of  tlm  l-'ii-iii  h  liivtT.  Laki' 
Nilii.-siii;,'  aiiil  tlu'  Ottawa  !ir.  r  U>  Moiitu  '  attiacti'il  all' iilioii 
»()  farly  n-  isir>.  In  is.'.i;  aii<l  in  l>';i)  siirvt-v-  witc  iMa>lr.  Iii- 
.uultodlv  this  loiiti'  ha^  ^'nat  a.lsanlagcs  in  iminl  of  di-iaiin'. 
A  vt'ssfl  going  from  tin'  "  Soo  "  i.r  from  (lie  Struits  of  Mai  kiiiaw 
lo  Moiitrual  would  liy  tlli^*  roiUr  iirartirally  take  one  sicji  of  a 
triangle,  as  tomiiari'd  « itii  two  sides  of  the  triangle  hy  way  of  (he 
Lower  Lakes.  The  follouiiig  tuhle  showH  some  of  tile  dlstaiue 
advantages  of  the  route: 

via  l.ow<»r     Via  flftirwitin     AihuriimiB 
From.  To,  Liikcn  in      Hay  I'niial  to       in  tfivur  nf 

luiira,  nnlcfl.  rttiuil. 

Ciiicano NVw  York  l,3«l»  —  — 

Cliicajfo Montreal  —  UOS  4H4 

Dululh New  Vork  1,500  —  — 

Duluth Montrcul  —  l«t7  5o;t 

Fort  William Monlrtal  1,2!>0  —  — 

Fort  William Montreal  —  »34  302 

The  earlier  surveys  were  concerned  with  ohtaiuing  a  depth  of 
from  ten  to  twelve  feet,  and  the  cost  of  eonstruetion  was  estimated 
at  from  $12,000,000  to  $24,000,000.  In  more  recent  years  the 
increase  in  the  average  draught  and  carrying  capacity  of  Lake- 
going  vessels  has  led  to  a  change  of  opinion  in  regard  to  t  .o 
depth  and  cost  of  construction.  While  some,  at  an  ear'ier  period, 
favoi'  d  a  barge  canal,  the  recent  intert^st  has  been  concerned  with 
a  waterway  which  will  permit  a  Lake  vessel  to  unload  at  Montreal. 
The  Canadian  Government  has  recently  completed  a  compre- 
hensive engineering  survey  of  the  whole  route  based  on  a  mini- 
mum depth  of  twenty-two  feet.  The  project  submitted  would 
permit  the  passage  of  the  largest  Lake  vessels  from  Lake  Huron 
to  .Montreal.  In  finding  tl  at  the  route  was  fea.«ible  from  an 
engineering  standpoint,  the  report  of  the  survey  was  confirmatory 
of  the  opinion  expressed  hy  the  "  Engineering  Xews  "  in  its  issue 
of  March  Sti  .  1 003 : 

■■  Frnm  an  engineering  standpoint,  disregarding  for  the  moment  polit- 
ical biiundurics,  there  can  be  no  doubt  tliat  the  Ottawa  route  is  by  far 
(lie  best  for  a  deep  waterway  from  the  L'pper  T.Hkes  to  the  sea.  So  far 
as  cxp  'rl  tralTie  from  the  irortliwest  to  Kurope  is  concerned,  it  ofTers  by 
far  the  ticst  possible  ronte.  .  .  ." 

In  comparing  this  route  with  existing  or  jirojocted  routes  the 
question  of  the  elevation  to  be  overcome  is  of  importance.     Be- 


71 ,"  ->    ,  '■•'»>*!=  rs  .■■9k'^%UfMW'^ '-7.  "•2r. ; 


6 


rut:  ut:onm.\s  ».n  (  wal. 


iweeu  iloatrtttl  aud  Ucorgiau  ba>  llicix-  aie  -iiU  imIis  ol'  uuvi- 
guuuu.     .Natural  L-liaiiUkils  arc  avuilaidu  ior  SU  pur  cent,  of  Uii» 
di.^lttuce.     To  reacli  tlie  buiiii/ul  It-vul,  (l.VJ  Kt;l  of  loikiigf  will  bu 
uoifBsury.    li}  tlie  Wtllaud  L'aual  rui.ie  onl>  .jJU  feul  of  lockage 
aiu  ui'ifssar).     The  (Jeorgiaii  liay  ruiii''  lias  also  to  ii«  loniiiuml 
wall  llie  pr.'ijoscd  dceiH'uiiig  of  tliu  .\li>iji!'sii)|)i  Hivcr  aa  well  as 
with  the  artilkial  wati'iwajs  projected  to  connect  (Jeorgiau  l>ay 
with    Lake   Ontario.     The  proposed   deep   waterway   from    Liikc 
Michigan   to  the  Uulf  of  Mexico  would  give  a  route  of   l,ii-.'5 
miles.     It  ia  true  that  the  estimated  co^t  of  a  deep  waterway  hy 
this  route  does  not  call  for  more  tlian  !|ilO,UO(>.nn().     But  there 
must  also  he  considered  the  nature  of  the  stream,  its  tortuous 
course,  whi(  h  is  W  per  cent,  longer  than  the  direct  distance,  and 
the  large  amount  u(  silt  carried  ilown  hy  tlie  river.     These  con- 
ditions  will   necessitate  a  uontinuous  e.\[>««n(lilure   for   (!red;,'iiig 
whi.  h  will  not  he  present  in  the  case  of  the  Ottawa  River  route. 
Ill   iiddilinii.   tiie   longer  ocean   voyage    from    the   mouth   of  the 
Alissis-ippi  and  the  higher  ocean  freight  rales  prevailing  hy  way 
of  tlie  Uulf  of  Mexico  arc  disndvantageous  to  tliis  route.     The 
voyage  from  Chicago  to  the  (iulf  of  Mcxiro  is  'i^  I  mih-s  shorter 
than  from   ''hieago  to  tlie  Straits  of  lielle  l.sle  hy  the  Ottawa 
Hiver.     From  such  an  rpiier-I.akc  point,  however,  as  nululli  the 
Ottawa  Kiver  route  is  600  miles  shorter.    In  hotli  cases  there  must 
he  remembered  the  'Msadvanta^fos  of  the  longer  ocoan  voyage  from 
t'le  mouth  of  the  Mississippi. 

Brief  mention  may  be  made  of  cne  two  competing  Canadian 
proj.cts.  The  proposed  Huron  Ontario  Ca^al  from  Georgian 
!?ay  to  T,akf  Ontario  has  had  almost  as  long  a  history  as  the 
Georgian  Bay  Canal  project.  Tt  is  not  clear,  as  was  pou.tcd  out 
by  the  United  ^itatcs  Deep  Waterways  Oommii^-iion,  whether  there 
is  a  sufficient  supply  of  water  at  the  summit  level  to  feed  the 
locks  both  ways."  The  Trent  Valley  Canal,  which  is  partially 
construct!  I.  a.,  .j  a  tortuous  water  connection  between  Georgian 
Bav  and  the  eastern  end  of  T.ake  Ontario  bv  a  route  which  is 
six  times  as  long  as  the  direct  land  route.  The  canal  is  being 
constructed  as  a  barge  route.  From  an  engineering  standpoint  it 
has  attracted  attention  hy  the  construction  of  two  larsre  hvdraulic 
locks,  one  of  which  has  a  lift  of  sixty-five  feet.  The  lockaee  hy 
this  route  is  about  500  feet  jrreater  than  hv  the  Welland  Canal. 
While  the  Georgian  Bay  Canal  is  feasible  from  an  engineering 


■"-.-'t 


It 


TUK  (ii:oh'<ii\s  itw  I  .i\M.  7 

Btan(liH)int,  the  importaut  quesuou  in  lU  inuballo  irailic  futuio. 
Tlio  Buviug  in  lime,  cuuscqueui  ou  tliu  sludlcr  distumo,  lud  tlie 
reductiou  in  ratei*  tousequunt  llierwu,  inu)'  be  expected  to  ultrait 
.illio.  'I'ukiiig  liie  I'uuuiiiu  I'ii'  d  fctiiiiuli',  four  iiulcs  [»  f  lioui 
wouhl  l)f  tlic  iiiaximuiii  .■^pffd  ou  ilie  fiiiml  portion  i.f  the  n»ute. 
It  may  l.i;  uc''d  iii  passin-  tluU  on  tin-  Wollmid  r:iiial,  uhidi 
hurt,  liovv.wi-,  x-nnv  sharp  curvivs  the  rtpced  falls  helow  tliis.  lUit 
ou  the  basirt  of  four  mil".,  pt-r  hum  \\v  liml  that  t!ii'4  route  would 
peririit  ve8!ti'ls  to  move  from  (ieorgiuu  Buy  to  MoatrLul  in  seventy 
hours,  ang  an  udvuntiigc  of  from  one  and  '-half  to  two 
day-  over  existing  routes.  Tiiis  eukuhition  i  ..  1,  liowever.  on 
the  eouditions  alfeeting  the  e.visting  fourtei.  .  wat-rwiiy  is 
way  of  the  Wellunil  Camil.  If  the  St.  I.aurenee  route  to  Montreal 
were  deepened  to  twenly-Uvo  feet,  it  is  probable— suhjcd  to  the 
tratlic  eouditions  spokeu  of  above— that  the  (leorgian  Hay  Canal 
would  have  no  advantage  in  point  of  tiine.  The  .ieepening  of 
t!ie  Lower  Lake  and  rivT  eanal.^  and  tlie  inerea.se  in  the  size 
of  the  hnks  would  lessen  the  amount  of  lockage.  At  the  same 
time,  the  longer  stretches  of  laki'  and  river  navigation  .vould 
permit  higher  speeds  than  would  be  possible  on  the  northern 
route. 

During  IDOT  the  wheat  rate  from  t'hieago  to  HulTalo  by  Lake 
averaged  l.r)  cents  per  bushel,  while  from  Duluth  to  ButTalo  it 
was  L8  cents.     During  sr  ne  period   the  rail  rate  on  exjiort 

wheat  from  Buffalo  to  :  York  was  f-om  five  to  five  and  one- 
half  rents.  The  Lake  i  ...  eanal  rate  by  the  St.  Lawrence  to 
IVfontreal  ha,-  average.!  over  a  period  of  years  four  and  one-half 
cents.  Sinet  it  ■  "stimated  that  the  (Jcorgian  Bay  Canal  can 
carry  wheu.  .o  Montreal  at  a  profit  at  two  cents  pop  bushel,  its 
rate  advantages  arc  apparent. 

One  of  the  ohjettions  urged  against  this  route  is  the  short- 
ncsa  of  the  season.  The  I,ake  season  opens  witli  the  opening  of 
the  Straits  of  'Nraekinaw  about  April  30th  and  ends  about  De- 
cjmher  I2th.  During  the  season  of  \'.w\  the  Canadian  "  Soo  " 
Canal  was  open  2.')3  days.  The  Georgian  Bay  route  would  b" 
available  for  about  210  days  out  of  the  year.  By  the  Welland 
Canal  twentv-two  days  iimre  navisation  would  bo  afforded.  An- 
other factor  to  be  considered  is  that  of  wind  detention  in  the 
canalized  portions  of  the  route.  Tlie  high  sides  of  steel  vessels 
make  them  dif.icnlt  to  handle  in  a  hich  wind.     On  the  Welland 


8 


Tin:  ilEOUiilW    HAY  VASAL. 


and  St.  Lawrence  canals  there  liave  been  cases  where  a  vessel  has 
lost  two  (lays  on  a  trip  on  accoiuit  of  wind  detention.  It  must  l)e 
renieuibered,  however,  that  such  detentions  have  taken  place  wheie 
vessels  which,  while  capable  of  greater  loaded  drauglit,  were  un- 
able to  draw  more  than  fourteen  feet  because  of  the  limited  depth 
of  the  canals.  With  a  deeper  channel  by  the  northern  route,  the 
vessels  would  he  stiffer  and  less  sutiject  to  wind  resistance. 
Against  the  shorter  season  and  the  possible  factor  of  wind  re- 
sistance must  be  set  the  fact  that  the  shorter  distance  would  per- 
mit a  larger  number  of  trips  during  the  season. 

A  significant  fact  in  the  development  of  Lake  transportation 
has  been  the  increasing  importance  of  the  Upper  Lakes.  The 
great  increase  in  the  traffic  passing  through  the  "  Soo  "  Canals 
is  one  index  of  this.  With  the  development  of  the  United  States, 
the  westward  movement  of  grain  centres  and  the  expansioa  of 
population  have  lessened  the  transportation  importance  possessed 
by  the  Lower  Lakes  in  the  early  days  of  the  Canadian  canal 
system.  The  northwestward  trend  of  the  wheat  centre  is  e^nocially 
significant.  The  result  of  these  changes  is  that  the  shortest  lines 
of  communication  from  the  northwest  to  the  seaboard  lie  across 
Canada.  The  great  development  which  the  Canadian  Northwest 
is  undergoing  furtlier  accentnates  the  importance  of  this.  In  the 
United  States  a  fractional  change  in  rates  determines  whether  a 
section,  whose  grain  normally  moves  south,  shall  send  it  to  the 
Lakes.  The  States  of  Indiana,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Wisconsin,  Michi- 
gan and  Minnesota,  which  lie  within  the  sphere  of  influence  of 
the  Georgian  Bay  Canal,  had,  in  1900,  a  population  of  18.8 
millions.  If  one  foot  of  a  pair  of  compasses  is  placed  at  Chicago 
and  the  other  at  Duluth,  the  circle  described  with  this  radius 
will  pass  through  Kansas  City.  In  Canada  all  the  provinces, 
with  the  exception  of  British  Columbia,  would  be  vitally  inter- 
ested in  the  Georgian  Bay  route.  The  possibilities  of  traffic 
from  the  Canadian  Northwest  are  of  great  importance.  In  Alani- 
toba  the  percentage  of  the  total  land  area  under  cultivation  is 
only  7  per  cent.,  while  in  Alberta  and  Saskatchewan  it  is  only 
2  per  cent.  Recognizing  that  the  cultivable  area  will  fall  short 
of  the  total  land  area,  there  is  still  great  opportunity  for  develop- 
ment. The  minimum  estimate  of  the  ultimate  wheat  yield  of  the 
northwestern  provinces  of  Canada  is  254.000,000  bushels,  the 
maximum  812,000,000. 


iiiiimiWiiiiii!t!i»iiiiiiiW!it!itiiir' 


i:uil;iii!i:!liJlliiiKi!iiti!:i:i:fliir!!!3.dl!!iliM;:i^!:i!!!ni;i;iH!lm!!is^ 


THE  ULUmjliS    H.ll    fASAL. 


Mr.  G.  Y.  Wisner,  aa  Aiueiicau  consulting  engineer  of  higli 
repate,  estimates  that  tlie  eanal  will  attract  8,000,000  tons  of 
trallie.  In  I'JO?  the  corn  receipts  at  Bull'alo  were  28,000,000 
bushels.  In  competition  for  a  large  portion  of  this  tonnage  the 
canal  would  have  an  advantage,  and  an  especial  advantage,  over 
tlie  ilississippi  because  of  the  cooler  route  through  northern  wa- 
ters. In  1888  Sir  William  Van  Home  stated  that  anything  that 
would  tend  to  lessen  the  cost  of  transportation  between  the  north- 
west and  the  seaboard  must  unquestiouably  have  a  beneficial  ef- 
fect. As  he  has  elsewhere  graphically  stated,  the  diJIiculty  has 
been  that  Canada  has  enlarged  the  transportation  funnel  in  the 
northwest  without  enlarging  the  spout.  In  his  evidence  before 
a  committee  of  the  Canadian  Senate,  he  said  that  the  canal  should 
lead  to  the  utilization  of  various  kinds  of  forest  products  which 
could  not,  under  existing  conditions,  stand  the  cost  of  trans- 
portation. It  should  also  have  a  most  favorable  effect  on  the 
development  of  the  mineral  resources  of  the  Ottawa  Valley.  So 
far  as  the  railways  were  concerned,  he  held  that  the  canal  would 
create  more  traffic  than  it  would  take  away.  The  power  possi- 
bilities of  the  route  are  emphasized  hy  the  report  of  the  Govern- 
ment Survey,  which  states  that  1,000,000  horse-power  are  avail- 
able along  the  route. 

In  addition  to  traffic  in  grain  and  lumber,  a  considerable  part 
of  the  dairy  and  packing-house  products  of  the  sections  of  the 
United  States  adjacent  to  the  Lakes  might  be  attracted  by  the 
supplying  of  cooling  and  refrigerating  facilities.  At  present  there 
is  a  great  disparity  between  the  east-bound  and  west-bound  Lake 
traffic.  Tlie  large  amount  of  empty  cargo  space  west-bound  gives 
a  low  rate  on  coal.  The  location  of  the  canal  would  not  permit 
it  to  compete  for  American  coal.  In  the  movement  of  salt,  chiefly 
from  New  York  points,  the  location  of  the  canal  would  also  rule 
it  out  of  the  running.  A  considerable  part  of  the  west-bound 
traffic  might  be  obtained  from  general  merchandise  and  package 
freight,  of  which  about  1,750,000  tons  moves  on  the  Lakes,  chiefly 
westward.  In  the  transportation  of  cement  the  canal  could  also 
develop  a  large  traffic.  Canada  manufactures  over  2,000,000 
barrels  of  Portland  cement  annually.  Seven-tenths  of  the  cement 
plants  of  Canada  are  located  in  Ontario;  an  increasing  demand 
for  cement  may  be  expected  in  the  Canadian  Northwest.  The 
traffic  in  Nova-Scotian  coal  may  also  be  largely  increased.    At 


10 


THE  OEUl^OlAX   UA\    tASAL. 


present  over  1,OUU,000  tous  of  this  coal  reach  Montreal  annually. 
It  would  be  possible  to  expand  the  demand  for  this  coal  in  the 
West  botli  for  manufacturing  and  for  domestic  purposes. 

The  American  people  have  always  been  interested  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  Canadian  transportation  system.     In  the  meet- 
ings of  the  xNational  Ship  Canal  Convention  at  Chicago  in  June 
18(J3,   the  advantages   of   tlie   Canadian   waterway   system    werJ 
recognized  even  by  those  who  feared  the  competition.    The  Legis- 
lature of  Illinois  passed,  in   18G3,  a  joint  resolution  appointhi- 
coinmissioners  to  proceed  to  Canada  to  solicit  the  "  earnest  con"- 
sideration  and  early  action  upon  a  subjecjt  of  great  and  inereasin-r 
importance  of  enlarged  and  cheaper  outlets  to  tidewater  by  way 
of  the  lakes  and  rivers  and  new  or  enlarged  canals  of  Canada 
Tiie  great  avenue  to  the  Atlantic  through  the  St.  Lawrence  bein^ 
once  opened  to  its  largest  capacity,  the  laws  of  trade,  which  it 
has  never  been  the  policy  of  the  Federal  Govei-nment  to  obstruct 
wdl  carry  tbo  commerce  of  the  Northwest  through  it."     At  the 
Commercial   Convention  in  Detroit  in   18(Jo,  Mr.   Aspinwall  of 
Detroit  said  the  navigation  of  the  St.  Lawrence  Iliver  and  canals 
could  be  imj.roved  to  give  a  safe  and  clear  draught  of  fourteen 
feet  to  tidewater,  and  that  this  would  be  important  to  "  the  future 
welfare  of  the  great  and  growing  Northwest."    The  United  States 
Deep   ^Aaterways  Commission  gave  a  qualified  approval  to  the 
Georgian  Bay  Canal  when  it  said:  "The  function  of  the  Ottawa 
route  IS  a.  a  future  loop  line  for  through  business  when  traffic 
conditions   shall    have  been   sufficientlv  developed   by   the   Erie- 
Ontario  route."     The  importance  of  the  direct-rail  route  across 
Canada   is   manifested   by   the  growth   of  the  in  -  transit  trade 
\M.en    partially  through  a  belief  that  economic  pressure  would 
lead  to  annexation,  there  was  a  proposal  to  rescind  the  bonding 
pnv,  eg.  the  outburst  of  protest  from  tl,e  Xew  England  and  the 
J;  orth western  Mates  showed  how  important  the  short  lines  across 
Canada  were  to  the  welfare  of  the  United  States 

From  time  to  time  arguments  have  been  ^advanc'cl  ac^ain^t 
Canadian  and  m  favor  of  American  routes  on  the  ground  of  the 
assumed  hostile  intent  from  a  military  standpoint  of  the  former. 
With  those  who  insist  on  looking  at  the  matter  from  this  stand- 
point It  IS  useless  to  argue.  But  those  interested  in  commercial 
develoi-ment  will  agree  that  any  transportation  route  which  must 
he  supported  by  a  reference  to  a  war  scare  thereby  condemns 


SitJtJftaMIWtHtlHIfllWtBWtHttlllfttMlllilyliJS 


naatsi'iiis! 


THE  OEOHUIAS   BAY  VASAL. 


11 


itself.  The  low  rate  is  the  thing;  and  the  sober  sense  of  tlie 
American  people  may  be  relied  upon  to  see  that  the  only  war 
Canada  is  interested  in  is  that  of  commerce,  not  of  arms. 

The  Georgian  Bay  Canal  project  briugs  up  the  important  ques- 
tion of  the  increasing  size  and  draught  of  Lake  vessels.  It  must 
be  recognized  that,  notwithstanding  the  shorter  route,  there  is 
some  question  whether  there  will  be  sufficient  traffic  west-bound 
from  Montreal  to  attract  large  I^ake  vessels  in  preference  to  the 
run  to  Lake  Erie  ports.  In  favor  of  the  canal  it  may,  how- 
ever, be  urged  that  the  development  of  a  large  bulk  of  east-bound 
tonnage  will  increase  the  volume  of  ocean-going  tonnage  entering 
Montreal  and  that  the  result  of  this  will  be  a  large  volume  of 
inbound  tonnage.  Enthusiasts  have  claimed  that  not  only  will 
the  canal  attract  the  Lake  type  of  vessel,  but  that  it  will  also 
lead  to  direct  voyages  from  the  Great  Lakes  to  European  ports, 
thus  obviating  the  disadvantages  of  breaking  bulk.  Although 
ocean  voyages  were  made  in  earlier  days  by  small  sailing-vessels 
sailing  from  Lake  ports,  for  example,  the  "  Dean  Richmond  "  in 
the  fifties,  this  is  cot  conclusive.  The  experiences  in  1901  of  the 
vessels  built  for  the  Counselman  Syndicate  by  the  American  Ship- 
building Company  are  more  in  point.  Although  they  journeyed 
under  their  own  steam  from  Chicago  and  Detroit  to  European 
ports,  the  venture  was  so  unprofitable  that  it  was  given  up  after 
one  season.  There  are,  it  is  true,  vague  hints  that  this  was  due 
to  the  underhand  machinations  of  those  adverse  to  this  route. 
Without  speculating  in  regard  to  motives,  sufficient  economic 
causes  exist  to  explain  the  lack  of  success.  The  fact  that  the 
vessels  could  not  load  to  their  fnll  depth  of  twenty  feet  imtil 
Montreal  was  reached  was  peculiar  to  the  existing  canal  depth. 
In  addition,  they  could  not  compete  in  cargo  capacity  with  the 
larger  vessels  either  of  the  Lakes  or  of  the  ocean.  Their  sailors 
were  paid  on  the  Lake  scale  of  wages,  which  is  about  twice  as  great 
as  the  ocean  scale.  In  addition,  the  vessels  were  subjected  to 
high  insurance  charges. 

In  Canada  the  ship-building  industry  on  the  Lakes  has  not  been 
greatly  developed.  The  largest  vessel  so  far  built,  one  510  feet 
in  length,  was  recently  launched  at  Fort  Erie.  The  bonding 
system  used  in  vessel  construction  on  the  American  side  of  the 
Lakes  is  practically  non-existent  in  Canada.  In  general.  Cana- 
dian firms  interested  in  Lake  traffic  find  they  can  save  time  bv 


wmm 


;2&iiiiSiiiiUiliSMIiiiiUiiK^!<l>i!S!!iin'liise^-t:u:!i<L>|nnn!KrK.>' 


Km^irmL^^"^ 


HftWMIMHtUMinMWti 


12 


THE  UEORUIAS   BAY  VASAL. 


obtaining  veaaels  from  Great  Britain.  Such  vessels  have,  of 
course,  to  be  built  to  withstand  the  stormy  passage  of  the  north 
Atlantic.  The  American  vessel  engaged  in  tlie  Lake  traffic  can 
be  more  lightly  constructed.  Tlie  stronger  hulls,  etc.,  needed  for 
tiie  ocean  voyage  add  about  twenty  per  cent,  to  the  cost.  The 
Lake  vepsel,  on  account  of  the  smaller  amount  of  coal  needed  to 
t-e  carried,  has  greater  cargo  space  in  proportion  to  size  than 
the  ocean-going  vessel,  in  general,  the  latter  costs  about  twice 
as  much  per  ton  of  cargo  capacity  as  the  former.  A  combined 
Lake  and  ocean  type  of  vessel  would  lack  the  economic  advantages 
attaching  to  the  more  specialized  types. 

Tlie  Georgian  Bay  Canal  will  be  a  costly  work.  Construction 
tlirough  tlie  Laurentian  formation  will  be  "xpensive  and  will 
take  about  ten  years  to  complete.  It  is  estimated  that  the  canal 
will  cost  $105,000,000;  even  if  money  can  be  obtained  at  three 
per  cent.,  the  interest  charge  will  exceed  three  millions;  in  addi- 
tion, maintenance  charges  must  be  considered.  Although  Canada 
has  greatly  increased  its  resources  of  recent  years,  the  demands 
upon  I'ese  are  also  great.  The  Government,  while  favoring  the 
construction  of  the  canal,  has  not  given  a  definite  indication  of 
the  policy  it  proposes  to  adopt.  The  English  Company,  known 
as  the  .Montreal,  Ottawa  &  Georgian  Bay  Canal  Company,  which 
was  chartered  in  1894,  has  done  considerable  survey-work.  It  haa 
offered  to  construct  the  work  if  interest  on  s  bonds  is  guaranteed, 
the  right  to  regulate  the  tolls  being  reserved  to  the  Government. 
Pending  a  definite  announcement  of  policy,  <he  Government  has 
reserved  the  right  to  expropriate  the  private  company.  Condi- 
tions favor  Government  construction  and  operation.  The  fact 
that  tie  canal  would  be,  if  in  private  hands,  a  toll  canal  gives 
point  to  the  desire  for  Government  ownership  and  management. 
For  since  1903  there  have  heen  no  tolls  on  the  through  traffic 
of  the  Canadian  canals.  The  advantage  of  canal  development  is 
looked  fo'-  in  the  expansion  of  Canada's  trade  and  resources,  not 
in  direct  contributions  to  the  revenue  of  the  country  from  the 
tonnage  utilizing  the  canals. 


7  f  '. 


3822^  fc 


nn]niii'L,.iuii!ii 


i«l!aiaMII!!BaHiiyi!5M!iii!iBiSM^i!lMi]i!MbllliliaU^ 


j[W!"^'^i; 


